Universal Magazines is now Universal Media Co

Universal Magazines – the name behind many well-known and successful media brands such as WellBeing, Grand Designs Australia, Outdoor Design Source, Home Design, CompleteHome.com.au, Australian Country, Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly and many, many more – is changing its name to better reflect who we are as a company and the services we provide today.

Historically, magazines have been our strength and now those mastheads have grown into powerful brands across websites, social media, email, video, and other unique brand extensions. “As a multi-media business we can now aggregate our different audiences, giving us commanding reach and an incredible ability to connect targeted, high-value and engaged audiences with our clients in more diverse ways,” said Publisher Janice Williams.

Our Audience Today by the Numbers:

8 sales per minute –magazines, downloadables and more

90,000 daily targeted website visitors

180,000 weekly social media engagements

260,000 monthly e-newsletter readers

At the heart of what we continue to do is advertising and content marketing, and we are pleased to say that more than 50 per cent of the 3000+ businesses who use our marketing services now employ these strong multi-media advertising channels to reach our broader multi-media network and audience. “It makes sense, therefore, that we re-name the company to reflect what we actually do, which is create strong media,” continued Ms Williams.

Our new name is Universal Media Co. “After 33 years as Universal Magazines, we are sentimental but excited to rebrand,” said Director Emma Perera. “We believe this name best reflects what our passionate teams do every day, what our audiences know us for, what we provide for our clients, and the great transformation we have made as a company. This name communicates the importance of media of any kind to all of our key businesses. Whether providing marketing services to a client, or selling any number of new products, our ability to communicate messages via media is our strength.”

When Will This Happen?

This is an advance announcement to our valued customers. Formal messaging to the broader market will occur in the coming weeks.

The ABN and ACN remain the same and there is no corporate change. “We are still proudly the same family-owned business that we have been since 1986, and the fourth-largest magazine media group in the country,” said Ms Perera.

UMCo’s Advantage and Niche Media:

Universal Media Co is in the unique positon of publishing print media brands that are well-niched, and as a result has many print brands in Year-On-Year growth. Having an audience base of this size that pays for content is a huge advantage in both provision of advertising services and launching new businesses. While generalist, mass media suffers, well-managed niche mediums thrive. The company will continue to take advantage of the business opportunities provided by the digital world, with its well-known focus on efficiency.